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Before Versailles: A Novel of Louis XIV [Hardcover]

Karleen Koen (Author)
3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)

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Book Description

Publication Date: 28 Jun 2011
Louis XIV is one of the best-known monarchs ever to grace the French throne. But what was he like as a young man—the man before Versailles?
 
After the death of his prime minister, Cardinal Mazarin, twenty-two-year-old Louis steps into governing France. He’s still a young man, but one who, as king, willfully takes everything he can get—including his brother’s wife. As the love affair between Louis and Princess Henriette burns, it sets the kingdom on the road toward unmistakable scandal and conflict with the Vatican. Every woman wants him. He must face what he is willing to sacrifice for love.

But there are other problems lurking outside the chateau of Fontainebleau: a boy in an iron mask has been seen in the woods, and the king’s finance minister, Nicolas Fouquet, has proven to be more powerful than Louis ever thought—a man who could make a great ally or become a dangerous foe . . .

Meticulously researched and vividly brought to life by the gorgeous prose of Karleen Koen, Before Versailles dares to explore the forces that shaped an iconic king and determined the fate of an empire.

Product details

  • Hardcover: 460 pages
  • Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY) (28 Jun 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 9780307716576
  • ISBN-13: 978-0307716576
  • ASIN: 0307716570
  • Product Dimensions: 16.6 x 3.8 x 24.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,095,334 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

3.2 out of 5 stars
5 reviews
3.2 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly engrossing 19 Oct 2012
By Caz
Format:Kindle Edition
The story takes place during four months of 1661, the year in which Louis XIV fully assumed the reins of kingship following the death of his trusted adviser Cardinal Mazarin (also widely held to have been Louis' mother's lover). There is a large list of dramatis personae at the front of the book giving details of who is related to whom, which it may be helpful to refer to at first (if you're reading the print version - with the ebook, it's not so easy!) because Koen sometimes refers to characters by their first names and sometimes by their title. This isn't a huge problem - just something to be aware of if, like me, you were not familiar with all the different personages in the story.
The author's style is very easy to read; I found it very clear and quite refreshing in a way. All the characters - the majority of whom are historical figures - are clearly delineated, even the vast numbers of different ladies-in-waiting and other courtiers, and even though the PoV sometimes switches abruptly, I didn't find it off-putting because I was so engrossed in the events being described.

I absolutely loved all the plotting and intrigue surrounding the court. Spies are everywhere, corruption abounds and everyone (almost) is out for what he or she can get. It's salacious and frequently immoral (or at the very least amoral) and utterly fascinating to read. There are two threads running throughout the novel - one relating to Louis' distrust of the wealthy and powerful Viscount Nicolas Fouquet, who seeks to replace Mazarin as Chief Minister of France; and the other concerning the identity of a mysterious boy who wears an iron mask. Having read Dumas' The Man in the Iron Mask a number of years ago, I enjoyed reading another version of this famous story.... Read more ›
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2.0 out of 5 stars Too slow 27 April 2013
By Kate Boardman
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I felt swamped with detail, descriptions of the grandeur and finery are necessary of course, but in the 1st half of the book it was difficult to get any sense of a story.
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3.0 out of 5 stars Pleasant enough ... 1 Sep 2012
By jaffareadstoo TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
The book gets off to a rather slow start, there is much to explain, and the complicated relationship between the major characters needs to be set into historical context. Once this is firmly entrenched in the mind, the novel begins to open up, and becomes an interesting description of seventeenth century life at the French court. There are the usual illicit royal relationships, and as the sexual intrigue between the King and the ladies of the court develop, it is easy to see glimpses of the decadence we have come to associate with the reign of the `Sun King'. The self-indulgence and corruption at the centre of court life is well described, and the scheming tactics of finance minister, Fouquet is well explained. It was nice to see the inclusion of the musketeers we know and love, and the addition of a further story which alludes to the mystery of the `The Man in Iron Mask', adds interest to this pleasant historical novel. Overall, this is a reasonably enjoyable depiction of court life, and as the court elite flutter like moths round a flame; it is easy to see how Louis XIV became such a charismatic and calculating monarch.
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3.0 out of 5 stars A bit underwhelmed 20 Aug 2011
By Misfit TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
Koen's latest book tackles a short period in the life of a young Louis XIV. Cardinal Mazarin is dead, and Louis is now in control of the government - a government seriously short of cash - although the Superintendent of Finances sure does have a pocketful of it. Louis is newly married to Maria Teresa of Spain, but at the moment he only has eyes for his brother's new wife, Henriette (sister to Charles II) and Henriette definitely reciprocates the feelings.

Meantime Louise de La Vallière, one of Henriette's ladies in waiting, becomes involved in the mystery surrounding a young man whose face is hidden behind an iron mask. What, if any connection is this young boy to the royal family, and why is someone so desperate to keep his existence a secret? Yep, there's a whole lot more to it than that but I'll not spoil, although if you are familiar with it all you know where Louise's story goes from here...

Despite a set of circumstances that promises a deliciously meaty, scandalous read, I found this rather underwhelming, especially coming from the author who gave us Through a Glass Darkly (on my all time favorites list). The characters were all rather flat and lifeless (even Philippe and de Guiche were not as hateable as they should be), and there was definitely not much chemistry between Louis and Louise. The repetitive sentences drove me seriously batty,

"The handsome young king of France was hesitant before her. The handsome young king of France desired her. The handsome young king of France loved her."

In the end, this isn't a bad book by any means, but it doesn't have the kind of punch Louis and his love life deserves.... Read more ›
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars A reasonable read 7 Sep 2011
By ClaireN
Format:Hardcover
This book is ok but it's a little superficial, which is interesting when you consider that KK is writing about real-life characters this time. I had high expectations based on my love of her other books. I was slightly disappointed - I can only hope that KK is working on the sequel to Dark Angels or Now Face to Face. Or both - now that really would be something!
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